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Redcoated Ploughboys: the Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1813-1815 by Richard Feltoe John R

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Redcoated Ploughboys: the Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1813-1815 by Richard Feltoe John R Document generated on 10/02/2021 9:28 a.m. Ontario History Redcoated Ploughboys: The Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1813-1815 by Richard Feltoe John R. Grodzinski Volume 105, Number 2, Fall 2013 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1050736ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1050736ar See table of contents Publisher(s) The Ontario Historical Society ISSN 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this review Grodzinski, J. R. (2013). Review of [Redcoated Ploughboys: The Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1813-1815 by Richard Feltoe]. Ontario History, 105(2), 234–236. https://doi.org/10.7202/1050736ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2013 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 234 ONTARIO HISTORY (a book which appears in the bibliography The publication of this book coincid- but is not quoted), and any literature ques- ed with the beginning of the bicentenary tioning Brock’s conduct is ignored. Many of the War of 1812, and like so many titles notable studies of strategy, land and naval seeking a market share of this event, Te- campaigns and battles, and the maritime cumseh and Brock rides over heavily trod- economic war, by historians Rory Muir, den territory and, despite the praise given Robin Reilly, Robert Malcomson, and Fay it in several newspaper reviews, it offers lit- Kert, just to name a few, are absent, and tle for serious students of the War of 1812. the absence of the collection of naval docu- ments published by the U.S. Naval Histori- John R. Grodzinski cal Centre is a significant omission. Royal Military College of Canada would be trained, armed and equipped like Redcoated the regular troops. Between March and June 1813, the Upper Canada legislature Ploughboys approved the creation of several incorpo- rated militia units, including the Volunteer The Volunteer Battalion of Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Incorporated Militia of Up- Canada—which fought in a number of ac- tions, including Lundy’s Lane and the siege per Canada, 1813-1815 of Fort George—and whose story is told in this book. By Richard Feltoe At first glance, Redcoated Ploughboys Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2012. 432 pages, illustra- appears to be an impressive work. Closer tions, 65 illustrations, 35 maps, notes, bibliography, examination, however, casts doubts on the index. $35.00 paperback. (www.dundurnpress.com) quality of the research and presentation of the story. For example, the many original t was not until the conclusion of the maps—there are 35 of them—throughout war against Napoleon, in the spring the book appear instructive and superior of 1814, that Britain could reinforce to any produced in years. Closer examina- Iits army in the Canadas to a level where it tion, however, reveals considerable licence finally outnumbered the U.S. Army in size. was taken in the interpretation of the Until then, British commanders in North documentary record, and in assumptions America looked to the manpower resourc- made regarding unit movements. For ex- es of Upper and Lower Canada to augment ample, the placement of the American their numbers. Unfortunately, inadequate and British pickets and the routes used by training, discipline and equipment made the two columns in the 24 August 1813 the sedentary militia unsuitable for em- reconnaissance of Fort George cannot be ployment in the line, leaving the authorities reconciled with the general order issued to establish another type of militia organi- the night before the operation was to take zation, the incorporated or provincial unit, place, outlining the dispositions for the raised from volunteers who would serve troops involved, and reports issued after- for the duration of the conflict, and that wards. inside pages autumn 2013.indd 234 2018-03-03 10:38:19 PM bOOK REVIEWS 235 Before continuing, this reviewer acknowledges that the interpretation of source material and using conjecture, where gaps in the record war- rant it, is central to the study of history and in the prepara- tion of maps; however, this activity also requires a level of skill and discipline that was applied inconsistently during the preparation and editing of this book. In another example, the author quotes a speech attrib- uted to Lieutenant-Colonel William Robinson, com- manding officer of the battal- ion, given to his men during the battle of Lundy’s Lane. Not only does the speech not sound at all like what an officer would say, but also an examination of the original source, Recollections of the American War by William Dunlop, the commander of the Right Division. The surgeon of the 89th foot, reveals that Dun- British government assigned both officers lop attributes this passage to “Billy R.,” an to Upper Canada, and directed Prevost NCO from the 8th Regiment of Foot who as to their employment. Commodore Sir assisted in training the Incorporated Mili- James Yeo, commander on the Great Lakes, tia of Upper Canada at Fort Erie, and not is mentioned in passing as “Yeo,” but nei- to Robinson. ther he, nor the arrival of the Royal Navy There are other problems in the book. on the lakes, are introduced. The United Secretary of War John Armstrong, was States declared war on Great Britain on 18, responsible for the army, and did not im- not 19, June 1812, and the conditions lead- plement “a massive capital investment and ing to the end of hostilities, and the date it shipbuilding programme” at Sackets Har- ended, are missing from the text. bor (p. 66); that activity was the purview Here is one final example. Never in- of the Secretary of the Navy. Lieutenant- tended to be a major assault on the Ameri- General Sir George Prevost, the Captain can defenders, the British reconnaissance General and Governor-in-Chief of British of Fort George in August 1813 was pur- North America, did not “install” (p. 124) posely limited in scope to allow study of Lieutenant-General Gordon Drummond the American defences. Yet, the author as the commander of Upper Canada, or presents it as a failed attack, attributable to Brigadier-General Phineas Riall as the the “overcautious command of this action” inside pages autumn 2013.indd 235 2018-03-03 10:38:20 PM 236 ONTARIO HISTORY by Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost, mavens alike will appreciate the many ap- who “lost an opportunity” (p. 119) to oust pendices offering details on the careers of the Americans from the Niagara Peninsula select personnel, specifications of weapons, by calling off the assault. This conclusion is details on clothing and dress, and informa- not supported by the narrative, the sources tion on soldiering, discipline, diet, health cited, or the excerpt from a letter Prevost and military families. sent to his superior in London, which Unfortunately, careless research, im- outlined the need for a larger coordinated precise writing and poor editing have dra- operation, with naval support, to take Fort matically reduced the quality of this work, George, and Fort Niagara, which offered which must be read with caution. support from across the river. There are a great many problems with John R. Grodzinski Redcoated Ploughboys, yet, not all is lost, Department of History, as historians, re-enactors and War of 1812 Royal Military College of Canada The Idea of Popular Schooling in Upper Canada Print Culture, Public Discourse, and the Demand for Education By Anthony Di Mascio Montreal and Kingston:McGill-Queens University Press, 2012. 244 pages. $95.00 cloth. ISBN 978-0-773540-45-3. $32.95 paperback. ISBN 978-0-773540-46-0. (www.mqup.ca) n approaching the subject of the devel- As the author explains, much of the fo- opment of education in Upper Canada, cus of historians of education has been on up to 1832, Anthony Di Mascio has the period beginning in the 1840s, when Ichosen to focus on what he rightly claims Egerton Ryerson established the begin- is a neglected aspect, discussion of the sub- nings of the modern educational system. ject by the people of the colony, through Discussions of the earlier period have fo- the press, in pamphlets and through other cused largely on official policy and those public forums such as petitions and debates who created it, but have neglected public in the two branches of the legislature. His pressure for development. The author has argument is that public discussion helped familiarized himself with various histori- to drive official policy. At times, what ap- ans’ views on the nature of Upper Cana- peared to be actions initiated by leading dian thinking on social issues and read the figures in government were preceded by existing material on the development of ed- public pressure, exerted through newspa- ucation, but added to this a thorough read- per editorials, letters to the editor, pam- ing of the newspapers, extant pamphlets phlets, and possibly petitions. of the period dealing with education, and inside pages autumn 2013.indd 236 2018-03-03 10:38:20 PM.
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